Nothing More, Nothing Less
by Naomi S. Goldson
Summary: To say it hadn't been her best year would be an understatement. Astoria's life has come to a point where she sees very little good. Nothing seems to be working in her favor as December of 2003 rolls around. Until, of course, that splendid tree showed up in her room. (Eventually) AG/DM. R&R! (Terrible summary... but the story's better!)
1. Diamond Comb

To say it hadn't been her best year would be an understatement.

As the youngest in her family, one would expect little Astoria Greengrass to be a spoiled, self-centered girl with little to no concern for anyone. The type of stereotypical pureblood who hated anyone related to Muggles, who cared only for money and her picture perfect appearance, and wanted to marry someone equally perfect to her so she could keep up her family's good reputation as well as her own. But Astoria was far from typical, and that was exactly what her problem was.

Astoria Rosalyn Greengrass, daughter of Rufus and Isabella Greengrass, sister to Andrew, Darius, and Daphne Selwyn née Greengrass, was now twenty one years old and unmarried. Daphne had married at nineteen, Andrew at twenty two, and Darius at twenty one. Astoria worked at Saint Mungo's as a healer, as she had been for nearly three years. Andrew and Darius had high ranking positions in the Ministry and Daphne stayed at home with her newly born child Leonardo Selwyn (who, in Astoria's generally disregarded opinion, was the ugliest child ever born – pale skin, muddy brown hair, dusty brown eyes, and a face that looked as if it had been stepped on? Not the prettiest combination). She was close friends with Aliena Maurice, a Muggleborn girl from Ravenclaw, and Renee Cauldwell, a halfblood from Gryffindor, and was friendly with both Ginny Potter and Hermione Granger (though soon to be Weasley – her wedding was scheduled for February). Daphne, Andrew, and Darius only associated with other purebloods and their broods.

The only thing that saved Astoria from her family's total hatred would be her looks and place in the Slytherin house. She was tall and slender with porcelain pale skin, sprinkled with the daintiest of freckles here and there, giving her the look of a million dollar doll. Her hair was a rich dark brown that fell in smooth, gleaming waves over her shoulders, which shone red in the light. Her eyes were pale green with a hint of blue grey that only shone if she chose the correct outfit to bring them out. Her mother claimed she was nothing to her siblings – all three shared the same piercing, electric blue eyes and white blonde hair that their mother possessed – but Astoria could see that Isabella appreciated the resemblance to her deceased sister Caroline.

This year, Astoria's parents had decided that she was well past the suitable age of marriage. In mid-January, they left her a list of pureblood families and their sons' names, along with a second list which detailed traits that her husband to be must possess. She had ignored it until May, when her parents had broken the silence normally maintained between them and their daughter to confront her about it. Naturally, Astoria had objected to their demands of a perfect marriage, and soon their fight was blown out of proportion. They hadn't really spoken since, but copies of the list showed up in her room regularly, and the Greengrass house's atmosphere was significantly tenser.

Astoria's job was a difficult one as well. She avoided her home as much as possible and had made the mistake of saying as much to her superiors. Since June, she had been working fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, with only a very few exceptions. Her social life had become practically nonexistent. Aliena had been married for two years and had twins of her own, so she rarely sought out Astoria's company. Renee had tried to contact Astoria for a while, but her letters were often intercepted by Astoria's parents and destroyed before the young Greengrass could see them. Renee came to see Astoria in person every so often, but moved to Ireland in September for work. Any of the few friends from Slytherin house she had managed to maintain easily dropped her as her work picked up, and truth be told, Astoria put little effort into keeping them up. The girls were snobbish and irritating, and she had never truly enjoyed their company.

Daphne took every opportunity to visit the Greengrass house when Astoria was home with her gremlin child and slimy husband to gloat about her incredible luck and life that was oh-so-much-better than Astoria's. This usually resulted in a shouting match, a wailing child, and several nasty letters left in her room by her parents, as well as a deprecating letter from Daphne the following morning. Darius refused to talk with Astoria, considering his family of four too perfect to be tainted by such a foul creature as her. Andrew, who had always been the kindest of her siblings, occasionally attempted to communicate with her, but his job forced him to travel quite often, and his four children and stingy pureblood wife kept much of his other time occupied.

When December rolled around, Astoria wasn't expecting much to change besides the weather. However, there was something quite out of the ordinary when she awoke on December first. It wasn't the alarm clock on her night table, which currently read four thirty AM. It wasn't the frosted window panes or snow in the window sill, nor the white snowflakes falling gently outside her large window. It wasn't that she had an particularly special plans for that day – she was scheduled to visit a certain patient with Dragon Pox whose body wasn't accepting the cure to the disease as one would expect, but besides that, nothing was really expected to happen at work or otherwise. No, the difference was in the distinctly sweet smell wafting about her room, as though someone had placed a fresh plate of gingerbread cookies there whilst she slept. She sat bold upright, looking around suspiciously. To her shock, an enormous silvery Christmas tree sat in the corner of her room. The numbers one through twenty five were penned on little ornaments in green and red, and the thing was decked out in magnificent golden trimmings that seemed to emit an unearthly glow. Her jaw dropped as she observed the splendid tree – she knew it couldn't have been her parents, nor any of her siblings who had placed such a thing there over night. It wouldn't have been Aliena or Renee, either – but then who would it be? Slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, slipped on her dressing gown and slippers, and padded over to it.

"What on earth…" she murmured, reaching out to touch one of its glistening branches. It looked like a perfectly sculpted ice tree, but felt as soft as her silk bed sheets. She moved to look at the first of the ornaments, on which was engraved a delicate number one. As her fingers brushed its cool surface, it swelled up and then fell into her hand. As she held it, she could feel its weight increase and its shape shift into a fist sized gold box, tied shut with a silver ribbon. Slightly hesitantly, she tugged on the ribbon. It felt like water beneath her finger tips and came free of the box as easily as anything. It fell away, turning into a sparkling mist as it did so. Slowly, she lifted the lid.

Inside was a tiny scroll of shimmering parchment, as well as a silver hairpiece. She sat down in her chair, setting the box down and pulling out the dainty comb. It was light as a feather, but clearly made of expensive, strong materials. "Goblin made," she breathed, turning the diamond encrusted piece over in her palm. Who would give her such a gift? Surely, it must be a hoax. She gently set it on the bedside table then pulled out the scroll.

_To Miss A. Greengrass,_

_Yes, it's Goblin made and very valuable. Don't let it waste away in some drawer, and certainly don't let your devil of a sister take it as payment for being such an angel to everyone._

_Most sincerely yours – _

Astoria snorted as she read the note. Daphne did have a tendency to take any nice thing that Astoria possessed and she did not, claiming that the more beautiful and perfect sister deserved it more than the pitiful, ugly one who hardly knew how to dress herself, let alone wear anything with worldly value. Astoria glanced at the little treasure chest situated atop her dresser. It was badly rusted and archaic, and that was the reason she loved it. It's incredibly invaluable appearance and filthy exterior disguised its contents, for inside the little chest was hidden all the objects that meant something to her – the things she couldn't let Daphne get a hold of. She sighed quietly, thinking about the little treasures it held. A plastic bead necklace given to her by a three year old patient at Saint Mungo's after she had healed the poor child. A pearl necklace given to her by her great grandmother (much to Daphne's dismay). A couple photos of her friends, a few of her school crushes, and even a several old family photos from the time before they loathed her. Turning back to the note and comb, she frowned slightly. Who had given these to her, and why would they do this? How did they know about her? Besides Renee and Aliena – who had clearly not written this note because the writing was clearly of someone else's hand – no one knew about her chest. And she'd never spoken to anyone about her family and the strained relationships in it. Some knew, of course, but not from her directly speaking of it.

Astoria stood up, placing the note back on the table. She pulled out my healer's robes and changed quickly, brushing her hair and opening the drawer in my bedside table to find a tie. As she did so, the gleaming comb caught the light and she paused. Astoria allowed a smile to creep over her face as she shut the drawer and instead picked up the comb and placed it firmly in her hair to hold it out of her face. She glanced at my reflection, satisfied. Surely Daphne wouldn't see her today since she was scheduled to work from five thirty to eight and she planned on eating out again. Just in case, however, Astoria cast a quick spell so Daphne wouldn't be able to wrench it free should she happen upon her. Thoroughly pleased, Astoria grabbed her cloak, slipped on her shoes, and left the Greengrass house. For the first time that year, she was smiling.

**A/N: This is going to be a 25 or 26 chapter story I believe. Each chapter will focus on one day leading up to Christmas, then Christmas itself and possibly an epilogue if I feel it needs one. It's part of my entry in the Christmas Boot Camp Challenge for advent (the tree is an advent calendar of sorts, if you didn't get that).**

**I'm still working on Speed of Change (hurrah!) and The Most Unlikely Couple is on hiatus because my brain has died. Don't give up on me!**

**Reviews would be much appreciated! Wooh!**

**-Naomi**


	2. Chocoballs

The remainder of Astoria's day had passed remarkably well. After a month of failed administrations to the poor old man with Dragon Pox, the cure had finally worked and he was on the mend. She had received many compliments on her new hair piece, much to her delight (though unfortunately she was unable to tell them who had given it to her, causing a bit of suspicion surrounding its origin). The smile she'd left her house with had hardly left all day, brightening her appearance significantly. Several colleagues and patients informed her of this, only causing Astoria to blush and smile wider.

When she arrived home at nine thirty, she went straight to her room, seeing as she could hear Daphne in the parlor with her parents. To her immense joy, no one noticed her arrival and she managed to shower and go to bed without anyone coming up. She placed the comb on her bedside table atop the note it had come with, glancing over at the tree that resided in the corner with a smile. All twenty five ornaments hung gracefully on its branches, the first having returned itself to its place while she was gone. She fell asleep dreaming about the wonderful turn her day had taken from her regular, dull life, and hoping for a continuation of such cheer.

When she awoke on December second, she didn't open her eyes. Her first thought was one of excitement – what if the tree's owner had left a second gift? But then, a sudden thought popped into her head – what if it had been a dream? Perhaps today was December first, and the tree never existed. Or maybe, the tree's owner had returned, deeming her unworthy of such presents, just as her family and former friends had. Her heart sank and the smile she had awoken with fell off of her face. With a sigh of acceptance, she opened her eyes and sat up.

To her bewilderment, the tree still sat there, looking as welcoming and beautiful as she remembered. A rush of childlike joy filled her as she leapt from her bed and stumbled toward it. The ornament emblazoned with a two had grown a larger and, as she approached it, floated off the tree and into her hand, where, like the day before's had, it transformed into a pristinely wrapped gift. She pulled the ribbon off and lifted the lid somewhat more quickly than the day before, finding another scroll of parchment and with it, a package of Honeyduke's Chocoballs, her favorite candies. Her parents had rarely allowed her to eat sweets, telling her that her metabolism wasn't like Daphne's and she would be fat before she knew it. She'd always managed to have some, but never enough for a child's liking.

_"Hurry up, Astoria!" cried Prina Parkinson, looking over her shoulder at Astoria, who was clasping her cloak as she ran._

_ "I'm coming, wait up!" Astoria said as she laughed, checking her pocket for the gold her parents had given her. The galleons, sickles, and knuts jingled merrily as she bounced along with her friends, who chattered animatedly about what they were going to buy._

_ "Honeydukes has the best candies," announced Ambre, a pureblood girl who of French decent who often claimed she was part veela, but only after seeing Fleur Delacour compete in the Tri-Wizard tournament the previous year. She flicked her dishwater blonde hair over her shoulder with a haughty smile. "I've been."_

_ "Really?" gasped Marie._

_ "Pansy brought me some when she went last year and the year before," Prina said, a smug smile on her round face._

_ "I haven't," Marie said dejectedly. "Let's go there first!" They started running down the path, arriving at Honeydukes with pink cheeks and heaving chests. Astoria pushed open the door and stepped in._

_ "Woah," she murmured, looking at the assortment of colored candies and students milling about. The atmosphere was jolly and friendly, and she couldn't find a single unhappy face in the crowd. Her friends split, each going in the direction of their favorite sweets, leaving Astoria to gaze around in wonder by herself. She wandered aimlessly through the crowd, accidentally bumping into several people as she went and soon finding herself in front of the chocolates. She gaped unashamedly, taken back by how many kinds there were. "Which do I get?" she mused to herself._

_ "The classic chocolate bars are a popular choice," said the clerk, smiling kindly at her. Astoria nodded and grabbed a couple of the chocolate bars. _

_ "Thank you, sir," she said, grinning at him. "How much are they?" She held up two galleons with a puzzled look and he laughed._

_ "Not quite that much, miss," he replied, taking one galleon and starting to pull out several knuts and sickles to give her back._

_ "You can keep it, sir," she said. _

_ "Why, thank you!" he said in surprise. "You know, it isn't often we have little girls like you come along. Here; take a couple of these as well." He handed her a handful of other assorted chocolates. She gasped in delight and beamed at him._

_ "Thank you!" she cried before dashing from the shop and sitting on a bench to eat her newly purchased treats. Just as she had placed a piece of a chocolate into her mouth, she heard the last thing she wished to hear._

_ "Just what do you think you're doing, Astoria?" _

_ She looked up to see Daphne glaring at her, surrounded by her fifth year friends. Frightened, Astoria shrank back a bit. "I bought some chocolate," she replied in as fearless a tone as she could muster. "Would you like a piece?"_

_ "You know very well that mum said you're too fat to eat chocolate," Daphne sneered, whacking the chocolate offered her to the ground and grabbing the majority of what Astoria held into the rubbish bin and floor around it. "You'd do well to listen to her, you little prat." And with that she marched off, laughing, leaving Astoria feeling alone and upset. A single tear fell down her face as she gathered what she could of the Honeydukes treats. Most of it was ruined, and she was left with only a couple little pieces of her chocolate bar. She let out a sigh and put her head into her hands, trying to hide her face so if Daphne looked back she wouldn't see the vagrant tears. Suddenly, she felt several things fall into her lap – several pink wrapped Chocoballs. Her head shot up and she looked around, trying to see who had given them to her, but there was no one there. Cautiously, she ate the little chocolates, delighting in how wonderful they tasted. She doubted anything could be as good as those gifted Chocoballs, no matter how expensive or fancy._

Astoria picked up one of the candies, a smile tugging on the corner of her lips as she unwrapped it and placed it in her mouth. She lifted out the note and read,

_Miss A. Greengrass,_

_I remember a long time ago when you liked these quite well. I hope that hasn't faded over time._

_Most sincerely yours – _

Astoria gazed at the note in amazement. Whoever this was certainly had a good memory. She thought back that day again, trying to remember anyone significant walking on the street that day, but found herself completely incapable of thinking of anything. She ate a second candy, then took the notes from the day before as well as the current one and made her way to the dresser. She pulled out her wand, murmuring a special charm to open the chest. A tiny click signaled that it was unlocked, and she lifted the lid. With a smile, she placed them inside and relocked it. She dressed and combed her hair, adorning it with the comb once more, before pocketing the candies and leaving for the day.

Work passed somewhat quickly that day, despite her long shift. During her lunch break, she sat to finish her remaining Chocoballs, an enormous smile plastered on her face. Penelope Wood, formerly Penelope Clearwater, though she had recently married Quidditch Player Oliver Wood, entered while Astoria was seated in the corner and let out a tinkling laugh.

"Chocoballs?" she said, smiling lightly. "I haven't had one in years."

"Me either," Astoria admitted. "But they're my favorite, and seeing as they were a gift, I wasn't about to let them go to waste."

"I'd say that's fairly logical," Penelope replied. She sat down in a chair a couple down from Astoria, sipping a cup of tea. "You know," she began, "you've been a lot happier these past two days."

Astoria looked up from her candies and met Penelope's eyes. "I suppose you're right," she said, nodding. "Life didn't really have much that I could be happy about before, so the small things make it seem a lot better now."

"Small things like your little candies there?" Penelope said, a teasing, though not unkind, smile etched on her face. "Or perhaps that priceless jewel situated so comfortably on your head?"

Astoria blushed. "Yes, that would be spot on," she said, laughing a bit.

"Where did you get it, by the way?" Penelope asked. "Because I know it wasn't something you just bought yourself – we may not be the best of friends, but I know you well enough to say you wouldn't do that sort of thing."

"Well…" Astoria trailed off. She was about to tell Penelope about the tree and gifts when the lunch bell rang, signaling the end of their break. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow," she promised. Penelope grinned and nodded, and the two women returned to work.

**A/N: And here's chapter two. I'm trying to write this story in a timely manner, and I'm hoping it will be complete by the end of December *knock on wood – I better not have jinxed myself***

**Reviews would be appreciated – especially constructive criticisms and other helpful comments! Of course, anything is definitely welcome and makes me feel loved!**

**-Naomi**


	3. WWW Keys

Astoria awoke with ease on the third despite the unearthly wakeup call of three AM. She didn't hesitate this time, but rather hurried over to the tree and grabbed the third ornament with childlike enthusiasm. The box was larger than the previous two had been, though Astoria knew better than to judge something by its size. She had always admired the small cottages that she'd seen in the countryside rather than her own spacious mansion, in which she had been lost more times than she cared to admit. They felt more comfortable and safe, whereas she felt insignificant in the Greengrass Mansion. Of course, she couldn't say such a thing to her parents or siblings – it would only turn out worse for her than things already were.

When she opened the box, she found a ring of keys. Each was a different size and of a different metal, easily distinguishable from one another. Beneath it was, yet again, a note, though this one was noticeably longer than the previous ones. She picked up the keys, examining them with care. She'd seen them before, though she couldn't quite place where. She set them down and looked at the note.

_Miss A. Greengrass,_

_Much as I would prefer not to support such a cause, these are from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Each key is currently unspecified, but use it once on a certain door, object, or other device with a lock and it will immediately become the only key able to open it (if locked, of course – keep it unlocked and it's a free for all). You might use one for your bedroom, one for a closet, one for your chest – no one will be able to access them but you if you do so._

_Best wishes_

Astoria looked between the keys and note with a sense of amazement. Who was this person? How did they know all of this – _any_ of this about her? She was sure that she hadn't told anyone really; whoever it was must have been around for quite some time and extremely observant. She allowed the packaging to resettle on the tree while she took the keys and note to the chest, unlocking it in its normal, complicated manner. Then, she set the note gingerly inside and shut it. Praying this wasn't any sort of prank, she picked the smallest of the keys – a little bronze one with a tiny ruby set into it – and fit it into the lock. An odd sensation coursed through the key and her hand and as she turned the key to lock it and then pulled it out, she saw that its shape had morphed into one exactly like that of the box's lock. She took her wand and tried her normal unlocking enchantments to no avail. Then she used the key once more and found that it opened as easily as anything.

"Amazing," she murmured, shutting the box once more and locking it. She changed into her work robes and slipped the keys into her pocket before fixing her hair with the comb once again. She smiled and apparated to Mungo's, blissfully unaware of the odd looks she got as she floated down the hall to hang her cloak up in the employees' office.

She moved through the motions of the day with ease, cheerfully greeting each patient and leaving each of them feeling significantly better off when she left than any other healer had made them feel. Her coworkers were heartened by her good attitude, her managers impressed by her newly acquired vigor. Lunch came more quickly than it ever had for Astoria and, as she sat down in the break room, gazing at the mural on the wall opposite her with dreamy eyes, she felt sure she hadn't been working nearly long enough to be there.

"You alright there, Astoria?"

Astoria's eyes jerked into focus and she saw Penelope looking down at her, smiling cheerily. "Oh, morning," she greeted her.

"Afternoon, you mean," Penelope corrected, sitting down. "It's nearly one."

"Really?" Astoria said, turning to check her watch, only to find that it wasn't there. _Of course,_ she thought. _Daphne's child broke it last month._ "I really do need to get a new watch," she murmured.

"What was that?" Penelope asked, giving Astoria a questioning look.

"Oh, nothing," Astoria said, smiling. "Talking to myself. I have a habit of doing that – a bad one that ought to be broken, but there's not much I can do about it at the moment, seeing as I don't have the drive to change it."

Penelope laughed. "We all have those sorts of habits, don't we?" she agreed.

"Yeah," Astoria said, nodding an unconsciously checking to see if her comb was still in place. Satisfied that no one had jostled it, she set her hand down again.

"You going to tell the big secret about where you got that fancy little thing?" Penelope asked.

"My comb?" Astoria queried.

"If your comb is that diamond studded hair piece you've been wearing the past few days, then yes," Penelope responded.

"You'd be correct then," Astoria said. "If you want to know where I bought it, that'll have to remain a mystery, since I'm not even sure myself. It was a gift."

"Really now?" Penelope said, eyes widening. "Who gave that to you? It's an expensive thing, by the looks of it. Some secret boyfriend you've managed to conceal from the entire Saint Mungo's staff?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, causing Astoria and herself to both break into peals of laughter.

"Not exactly, no," Astoria said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry to disappoint you and the other gossips that reside here, but I do not have a secret boyfriend to tell you all about." She paused, and then continued, "Actually, I'm not entirely sure who gave it to me."

Penelope furrowed her brow. "How's that?"

"On the first, I woke up to find a giant Christmas tree in my room," Astoria began, "with ornaments labeled one through twenty five. When I went to look at it, the first one came off and turned into a little present. Inside was this comb." She paused again, debating whether or not to tell Penelope about the notes. She decided for the time being not to divulge that part of the tale, but rather, continued, "On the second, I got those Chocoballs you saw me with. Today, it was something else. I'm not sure who put the tree there, nor do I know who's putting the gifts in it. I'll say it's an impressive piece of magic – not your ordinary cookie-cutter first year stuff. It's really beautiful."

"Sounds like the advent trees my parents used to use when I was a child," Penelope said reminiscently. "Are you sure it wasn't your parents or anything?" Astoria scoffed.

"My parents do something like that? Not in a million years," she said bitterly. "We aren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment."

"I'm sorry," Penelope said softly, looking at her with big

Realizing her mistake, Astoria wiped the contemptuous look off of her face and hitched her smile back on. "It's not your fault," she responded. "It's really my own fault, but I don't particularly feel like fixing it, much like my bad habits." Penelope cracked a smile again and Astoria let herself breathe again, knowing the tension had been dissipated and the possibility of things spiraling out of control had disappeared for the present moment.

"Well, maybe you do have a secret boyfriend," Penelope said. "One so very secret that not even you know about him yet."

"If that was true," Astoria said with a little laugh, "then said secret boyfriend's sneaky plan is ruined, seeing as we have just uncovered his little secret of being my sneaky secret boyfriend that not even I know about."

"That was possibly the most confusing sentence I have ever heard," Penelope said, her face completely straight. The ridiculousness of the whole situation was too much for Astoria's tired and somewhat overemotional body to take, so she started laughing, hard enough that she found herself unable to breathe properly. Penelope started laughing as well, and neither stopped until the bell rang, signaling their return to work.

"Ought to be going then," Penelope said, straightening her robes and chuckling. "I expect updates on your secret boyfriend, then."

Astoria laughed and nodded. "Anything for the wife of the oh-so-special Oliver Wood!" she called after Penelope, who turned back to flash her a mischievous smile before running off. Astoria shook her head and threw away the remainder of her tea before walking out.

**A/N: Not my proudest chapter, and I feel like the scene with Astoria and Penelope seems to 'flirty' for these two in my fic.. but whatever. **

**I'm thinking it'll get better as it goes on, but one can only hope, you know.**

**Constructive criticism would definitely be appreciated now!**

**-Naomi **


	4. Emerald Watch

The day was relatively peaceful from there on out. Rather than her scheduled time of five, she was released from work at four, leaving her with time to waste before going to her house. She apparated to Diagon Alley, intending to merely allow herself to wander for a while. When she appeared on the stone pathway, she was immediately shunted away by the hordes of witches and wizards occupying the little street. She huffed in annoyance, trying to pull herself out of the constant stream of people. She felt someone grab her upper arm as she struggled and tried to twist away, but not before she could be yanked out and onto the margin on the edge where a few dillydallying fellows meandered. Surprised, she looked over to see who had rescued. She was even more surprised to see none other than Draco Malfoy standing beside her, a peculiar expression on his normally apathetic face.

"Did you… pull me out?" she asked, praying to Merlin that he had – if he hadn't it would be a very awkward question to ask, and she didn't particularly want to put such a well-known and respectable person into such a situation. She had enough odd situations without this adding to the list.

"Yes," he replied curtly, nodding.

A moment of silence followed. Astoria shifted her weight, hoping he would say something. She soon realized he wasn't going to and asked, "Any particular reason for you doing so?" It wasn't until after the words had tumbled from her mouth that she realized her tone was rather rude. Draco looked a little surprised by her comment as well, judging by his slightly raised eyebrows and flickering eyes. Astoria fought a blush as she added, "Not, of course, to imply I'm not grateful for being assisted."

"Of course," Draco said. "You seemed in need of help."

"Who's to say I needed help? I could have gotten myself out perfectly well," Astoria retorted. "I'm not a helpless child."

"I didn't mean to insinuate that you were," Draco said, tilting his head as he spoke, his eyes trained on her. "I only meant to offer service to a friend in need. If they were unwelcome, I can help you get back into the flow with ease –"

"No, no, of course not," Astoria said quickly, this time completely incapable of holding off a blush. "I'm sorry, sometimes I speak before I think and then things come out wrong and I end up embarrassing myself."

"No need to apologize," Draco said. Astoria could have sworn she saw a smile playing across his lips, but it disappeared so quickly that she couldn't be entirely sure.

"Alright," Astoria said slowly. "I suppose I ought to be going. I need to go in here anyway," she said, motioning to the jewelry store she had so luckily been stopped in front of.

"I'll see you later, Miss Greengrass," Draco said, nodding.

"Astoria is fine, Miss Greengrass sounds a bit stuffy," Astoria said, wrinkling her nose.

"Then goodbye, Astoria," Draco said. This time, Astoria knew he smiled. She allowed herself to smile as well as she turned to enter the shop. Just as she turned, he said, "Oh, and that comb looks lovely with your hair." She turned back to look at him, but he had already left. She lifted a hand to feel the comb, grinning broadly as she walked inside.

"Good afternoon," said the shopkeeper cheerily, rushing over to greet Astoria as she entered. He narrowly avoided running headfirst into a shelf, but ducked in time to save both his head and impressively tall hat. Astoria suppressed a giggle as he did this, taking in the wizard's especially eccentric taste. "How may I be of assistance?"

"I'm just looking for a watch," she said offhandedly. "Mine's missing."

"Watches," he said in an abnormally steady voice, as though it was forced. "Watches. Well, we have a few of those – why don't you come see?" He turned to walk away, murmuring something under his breath as he did so. Astoria followed him with a somewhat hesitant step but was pleased when she found herself faced with an enormous case full of expensive watches. Many of them were huge and far too gaudy for her opinion – ones that would be far too impractical for the everyday use she intended hers to be for. She looked over them, stopping when she saw the perfect watch: a simple white gold watch with a single emerald set in place of each number. They were tiny, and the present hour's jewel seemed to emit an ethereal light. She smiled softly at the little trinket, then at the man.

"This one, please," she said, pointing.

He let out a bark of laughter, causing Astoria to jump in surprise. "Oh, sorry," he amended sheepishly. "Uhm, well, that one's rather expensive you know.

"I can pay for it," she replied offhandedly. "How much?" She pulled out the money she had with her, smiling. The man looked nervously between the money and Astoria before answering,

"Eighty galleons."

Astoria blinked, taken aback. "Eighty, did you say?"

"Err, yes. Well, no. Actually, it's two-eighty. As in, two hundred and eighty galleons for that watch," he said, nodding vigorously.

"You're not serious, are you?" she asked.

"Perfectly so," he said, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Two hundred and eighty galleons?" she repeated.

"Two hundred and eighty," he said again.

"I'll give you fifty," she said uncertainly, "but only because I need it."

"Two eighty!" the man said in a strangled, high pitched voice. "Two fifty is the lowest I can sell such a watch for!"

"I'll give you eighty, no more and no less," she said, "but I need to run to Gringotts."

"We close in a minute," he said, trying to surreptitiously cast a spell on the door and failing tremendously.

"I can run," she offered.

"I have to be going now, see you later, Miss Greengrass!" the man said, shunting her off to the door. Astoria stumbled onto the street, feeling perplexed by her little venture. The door shut behind her and an elaborate 'closed' sign appeared on the door. She pursed her lips in irritation.

"Closed?" she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Two hundred and eighty galleons? Ridiculous." As she walked off down the street, she paused, thinking. How had he known she was a Greengrass? She turned as if to return, but thought better of it. Her family was, of course, a respected pureblood family – one of fewer than thirty in Britain. If he happened to be like some wizards she met, he could be the groveling sort that worshipped purebloods. Not that it was much of a condolence, but her little rationalization made her feel more comfortable as she continued onward to find supper.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Astoria was in a rather foul mood when she awoke in the morning. She'd dreamt of ever unsatisfied shop clerks, her nephew's earsplitting wails, and Daphne's obnoxious laugh – a combination Astoria hoped she would never come across in anything besides dreams. As she stumbled about to get ready for work, pulling the somewhat small package off the tree and opening it as she subconsciously moved about, she didn't even notice what was in the box. She set it down on the table as she did her hair, trying in vain to locate the glass of water she was sure she had placed on the table as well. As she bent over, she accidentally sent the box tumbling to the floor. Cursing her luck, she grabbed it and dumped its contents into her hand.

Out fell the watch.

Astoria's inner dialogue ceased as she looked at it, turning over the cool metal and jeweled piece in her palm. It was exactly the watch she had seen and wanted to buy – every detail was the same, from the cut of the emeralds to the intricate designs in the sides. All except one thing. On the back of it was engraved ARG in elegant cursive, spiraling around and forming a delicate wavelike pattern that swept about it. She latched it onto her wrist, even more shocked that it was precisely her size. She let it sit, relishing in the familiar weight of a watch on her wrist once more. A smile twisted the corner of her lips as she pulled the note from the bottom of the box where it had wedged itself.

_Don't get ahead of the game, Astoria._

**A/N: And that is day four.**

**-Naomi**


End file.
